A recent upgrade in lighting efficiency at Friday Harbor Laboratories appears to be well worth the investment.

On the heels of the upgrade, completed in late March, Orcas Power and Light Cooperative presented the Labs with a $46,230 rebate check for reducing its electrical demand.

The retrofit included upgrading to high-performance linear bulbs and ballasts, and replacing incandescent lighting with LEDs, resulting in an estimated energy savings of 101,333 kilowatt hours a year.

The Labs also installed solar panels on a laboratory building close to the water, visual from Friday Harbor. The 3-kilowatt system is interconnected to OPALCO’s electric grid and will offset energy costs for an estimated annual savings of 3,011 kWh kilowatt hours.

OPALCO’s rebate program is funded by Bonneville Power Administration to help incentivize energy efficiency upgrades in San Juan County. OPALCO has issued a total of $268,478 in rebate checks to members with a collective estimated annual kWh savings of 940,826, from early October, 2013 and May 31, 2014.

We encourage an open exchange of ideas on this story's topic, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. Personal attacks, inappropriate language, and off-topic comments may be removed, and comment privileges revoked, per our Terms of Use. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.